Au pairing in China: the complete guide. How to become an au pair and what to expect from your experience🥰

So, you’ve made those crucial first steps on your journey to becoming an au pair. Perhaps it began with a quick google search such as ‘au pairing in Asia’ or ‘au pair jobs abroad’ or maybe a friend mentioned it to you and the idea appealed to you. Either way, you know what we know and that is that au pairing can be one of the most fulfilling experiences you’ll ever get in your entire life and that au pairing is a way to not just see a new country but live life like a local.💞

Your initial searches bring up a whole host of au pair hosting sites. It’s exciting but a little overwhelming too. What’s the best company to do it for? Is it the same experience everywhere you go? How long does the process take? What if I have problems whilst I’m an au pair?

These are all excellent questions and we will now hasten to answer them.

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💗How do I know if an au pair job is legit and if the website is trustworthy?

There are many websites that will offer au pair jobs where the process is quick and easy. Sometimes you will find websites where a family’s profile is immediately available to you and you can apply right away.

The drawback with this type of service is that the organisation/hosting platform only really facilitates those initial contact points and are hands-off when it comes to the actual process. As for LoPair, we have a much more thorough process in place. Why is this better? It’s much better for both you and the host family because we are more interested in creating an engaging, meaningful cultural exchange with high-quality host families and high-quality au pairs. This is a way of avoiding some of the unfortunate experiences other au pairs have endured when applying from less-trusted websites.

And if you want more than just our marketing team’s word for it, trust the accolades we have achieved over the years which recognise the excellent service we provide. In 2017, LoPair was awarded Au Pair of the Year Award and awarded a notable mention by GoAbroad.com in the Top-Rated Organization category. In 2021, LoPair were also Innovative TEFL/Teach Abroad finalists hosted by GoAbroad.com. We also have a number of glowing reviews which you can find here on our website.

💚How long does the process take? What are the first steps?

The process from application to travel arrangements being booked can take a few weeks. When you apply with LoPair China, we help you through all stages of the process: pairing you with a family that is suitable for you, assisting you with the visa process and providing initial teaching and training once you are in the country.

Upon applying, you’ll be requested to fill out documentation regarding your medical records and personal details – don’t worry, this isn’t as invasive as it seems, just some necessary admin work to allow you to enter into China. Then you will be asked to provide a short introduction to yourself. This can be very short or slightly longer and is just a fun way to allow families to get to know you.

After this is completed, our placement team will rotate your profile upon interested registered host families, this is where the mutual match process begins. You will expect one or multiple interviews happen during the process. An experienced mentor and host mom will be organising a pre-departure webinar or one-on-one training with you and will also follow up with you when you arrive at your host's home.

When you arrive in China, you are not just thrown into the deep end and expected to get on with it, you are given teaching/mentor training and an induction day to help you settle in.

Once you’ve joined your host family, you’ll still maintain contact with us should you have any problems.

💛What happens if I have problems in China with my host family?

We rarely ever have problems with our au pairs and host families for the same reason we mentioned earlier, the due diligence and hard work we put into creating a process that works for everyone ensures that we have both high-quality au pairs and host families.

However, on the rare occasion conflicts do arise, Both local coordinator and office staff will support in coordination and mediation process. You will never be left alone to deal with problems yourself.  

💜How much free time will I get to myself? Will I be able to do some extra travelling while I’m there?

You will agree with your host family what your schedule will look like and this will be typed up on a spreadsheet to make it easier for you both to remember. This will be divided up into your contact hours (usually 30 hours per week), your allotted Mandarin classes and your day off. You are free to do as you please on your day off as well as in the evenings, mornings or afternoons that you have free when you are not with your sibling.

Another aspect to the programme that makes it more of an immersive experience rather than just au pairing is that LoPair organise a number of cultural activities which you can check out on our blog page here. Additionally, you will be enrolled into our Mandarin school where you will be taught by our excellent teachers – you’ll be surprised at how quickly you pick it up!